KTLA Thanksgiving 2023
ACORN SQUASH stuffed with BRIOCHE, ITALIAN SAUSAGE and CRANBERRY STUFFING
Buttery brioche blends with Italian Sausage and sweet dried cranberries for a holiday stuffing that is out of this world!
3 acorn squash
One 14-ounce loaf unsliced brioche bread, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 links Italian Sausage
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the brioche cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool.
Cut the ends off of acorn squash, so you can stand both ends up straight. Cut in half. Brush the squash on all sides with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place flesh-side down on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Squeeze the Italian Sausage from the casing and cook until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the same sauté pan and add the onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for 3 minutes more.
Combine the bread cubes, Italian Sausage, onion mixture and dried cranberries in a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs and chicken stock and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Toss well.
Evenly divide the stuffing between the squash. Place back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes until the squash is soft and stuffing is crisp and golden brown.
Serves 6
Jamie Gwen
Jamie is a Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu Graduate, a Syndicated Radio Host, Certified Sommelier, Public Speaker and 7-Time Cookbook Author.
BACON & GRUYERE BREAD PUDDING in a PUMPKIN
One 3-lb. pumpkin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound French or Sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
8 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices bacon - cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
Using a very sturdy knife - and caution - cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween Jack-o-Lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot.
Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper - you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure - and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled - you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little - you don't want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened.
Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours - check after 90 minutes - or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.
To serve, spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful.
PUMPKIN RISOTTO
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot (minced)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Fresh ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
Cranberry Gremolata
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the stock and pumpkin over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cover and keep warm.
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Once the foaming subsides, add the shallot and salt. Cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme and rice and cook for one minute longer.
Add the white wine vinegar and a ladle of warm stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated. Add another ladle of stock, and continue cooking until evaporated again. Continue cooking, adding a ladle of stock at a time, and allowing to evaporate in between each addition. Cook until the rice is done, but has a bite to it, it should be creamy in texture, and will take about 20-25 minutes.
Mix in the parmesan, half of the parsley, and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining parsley, goat cheese and cranberry gremolata.
CRANBERRY GREMOLATA
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup Dried Cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1/2 fresh herbs chopped (cilantro, oregano, mint)
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt and pepper
Combine the ingredients in your food processor and pulse until roughly chopped
AIR FRYER PUMPKIN BISCUITS
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus 1 tbsp. melted
1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. buttermilk
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt. Using a fork or 2 table knives, work cubed butter into flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
Step 2 In a liquid measuring cup or another medium bowl, whisk pumpkin puree and buttermilk until combined. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined and a shaggy dough forms.
Step 3 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead dough with your hands until no dry spots remain. Pat dough into a 4"-by-4" square and cut into 4 squares. Brush tops of squares with melted butter.
Step 4 In an air-fryer basket, arrange dough squares in a single layer. Cook at 350°, tenting with foil during the last 3 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary, until golden and risen, 10 to 12 minutes.
LEFTOVER TURKEY, BUTTERNUT & GREEN CHILE ENCHILADAS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups peeled + cubed butternut squash
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
1 (10 ounce) can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 (4 ounce) can Diced Green Chiles
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded turkey
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese shredded
1 (10 ounce) can Red Enchilada Sauce
10 flour tortillas
Preheat the oven to 350∞F.
Set a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butternut squash, cook for 8-10 minutes or until the butternut squash is just fork tender. Add the chipotle chile powder, cumin and sage. Continue to cook about 1-2 minutes and then slowly stir in the green chile enchilada sauce, diced green chilies and milk. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce is warmed through. Remove from the heat and stir in the turkey, and half of the shredded cheese.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch-baking dish. Pour half of the red enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
Working with one tortilla at a time, lay them flat on your work surface and spoon about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture into each tortilla. Roll them up and place the enchiladas in the prepared pan with seam side down. Top with remaining red enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.
3/4 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus 1 tbsp. melted
1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. buttermilk
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt. Using a fork or 2 table knives, work cubed butter into flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
Step 2 In a liquid measuring cup or another medium bowl, whisk pumpkin puree and buttermilk until combined. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined and a shaggy dough forms.
Step 3 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead dough with your hands until no dry spots remain. Pat dough into a 4"-by-4" square and cut into 4 squares. Brush tops of squares with melted butter.
Step 4 In an air-fryer basket, arrange dough squares in a single layer. Cook at 350°, tenting with foil during the last 3 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary, until golden and risen, 10 to 12 minutes.
PUMPKIN CRÈME BRULEE
4 Mini Pumpkins optional - you can also use ramekins
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for topping)
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Using a large, sharp knife, cut the tops of the pumpkin off. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp from inside the pumpkins and. Do the same with the tops. Place the pumpkins in a deep roasting dish. Leave the lids aside.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until combined. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and vanilla over medium-low heat. Once the cream starts to feel warm to the touch, pour a small amount of it into the egg yolk/sugar mixture and whisk together. Continue to drizzle the warm cream into the egg yolks slowly, whisking as you go, until it has all been added.
Once all the cream has been added, pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and salt to the custard mixture and continue to heat on medium-low, stirring the whole time with the whisk to prevent burning. Once you see the custard start to simmer, remove from the heat and transfer the custard into a large measuring cup or pitcher. Pour the pumpkin custard into the mini pumpkin bowls, filling them all the way to the top.
Put the creme brulees into the oven on the middle rack. Pour water into the roasting dish until it reaches about halfway up the pumpkins. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkins. When they are done the outside should be set but the middle will still be wobbly. Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath. Once they are cool enough to touch, remove them from the water and put them in the fridge until thoroughly chilled.
Before serving, sprinkle an even layer of sugar on top of the baked custard. Use your blowtorch to brulee the pumpkins to a beautiful, glassy, caramelized topping.